In the sector of medium voltages and medium currents, approximately 220/240 volts and 16 amps, such as in domestic and industrial applications, electrical conductors are terminated at terminal devices, such as wall sockets, switches, or at electrical accessories by screw pressure or by clamping contacts. Such generally known and used connection or termination techniques require, however, a relative large expenditure due to the necessity to strip the conductors. The connections are of poor reliability, since screws frequently get loose due to vibrations, or since the clamping connections do not precisely grip the wires nor fix them with sufficient force. Loosening the screw connection is sometimes difficult, due to corrosion of the latter.
In the telecommunication sector, the so-called insulation displacement technique for terminating conductors to terminal devices or terminal blocks has been used for some time. The stripless insulation displacement termination for voice and data transmission is characterized by high reliability and easy handling. Such insulation displacement techniques are inexpensive, rapid and are field-proven in the telecommunication industry for solid as well as stranded copper cables of various types.
The application of insulation displacement termination techniques is partially known in the power sector, e.g. in the automotive industry. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,040,709, termination of a headlight unit to cables by an insulation displacement connection is proposed. In DE 39 12 210 A1, slots for pressing-in cables having insulation are provided. GB 2,161,034 A discloses a solution for terminating lamps in series, wherein insulation displacement connection elements are also provided. The application of insulation displacement connection elements is also known in the art from U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,245,880 and 4,508,399 .
In DE 39 38 365 C1 there is described a wire connector comprising two identically shaped housing halves being latched with each other. The housing halves include guide channels and insulation displacement contacts arranged therein. The wire connector is not universal, however, but can only be used for connecting cable wires of the telecommunication technique.
It is disadvantageous, in all proposed solutions, in particular using the insulation displacement technique, that no universal application in the medium voltage sector is possible. Solutions are only proposed for a very limited special application, which cannot, or only hardly, be modified and adapted to user's requirements.